Nothing IN This World
by Nicole Lo
Summary: Scott and Shelby are together and happier than ever. Augie and Juliette are in the midst of breaking up and Daisy still can't decide between Ezra and David. Besides the usual, Courtney Ortiz has just come into the picture. Add her into the mix and everyth
1. Default Chapter

Nothing In This World  
By: Nicole Lopez  
  
Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Higher Ground the television show, besides this story. However, this story concept and idea is my own creation. All new characters and settings belong to me.  
  
Summary: Scott and Shelby are together and happier than ever. Augie and Juliette are in the midst of breaking up and Daisy still can't decide between Ezra and David. Besides the usual, Courtney Ortiz has just come into the picture. Add her into the mix and everything begins to go haywire, even the infinitely perfect relationship between Scott and Shelby. Will nothing in this world come between them? Find out and review.  
  
Rating: Between PG-13 and R, but closer to PG-13.  
  
Chapter One: Love Ended Here Today  
  
"So, I'll see you at lunch, right?" Augie asked Juliette. They had become increasingly close during the past few months and he was convinced that they were in love.  
  
"As much as I'd like to be there ... I'm not feeling too good." Juliette confessed.  
  
"Does Peter know?"  
  
"Yeah. And he's fine with me missing out on lunch. It's just for one day." She could see the concern on his face.  
  
"Are you going back to..."  
  
"No. I promised to give it up for you remember? I love you Augie." Juliette embraced her boyfriend, pulling him aside so that they could share a secret kiss. "Don't worry about me. Go and have fun."  
  
"Without you? That's impossible." He joked.  
  
"Just go." Juliette demanded.  
  
"See you." Augie walked away, feeling rejuvenated by their kiss, but feeling a little weird about Juliette being sick. Most of the time she wants me there when she's not feeling good. Why do I get the feeling that she was trying to get rid of me?  
  
"Thank God." Juliette mumbled, walking back into her room and sitting down on her bed. I thought I'd never get rid of him.  
  
"Where's Queenie?" Shelby questioned Augie as he walked over to their table, sitting across from Scott.  
  
"Yeah, you guys have been attached to the hip lately." Ezra chimed in.  
  
"She's not feeling good."  
  
"Oh." Shelby smirked, focusing her attention on Scott and only Scott. Ever since they had started going out, no one else existed. Only Scott and Shelby seemed to matter.  
  
Augie pushed his food around on his plate not because it was disgusting, which is was, but because seeing Scott and Shelby together made him miss Juliette even more. Kat was gone and other than his girl, there was no one else to talk to anymore. I have to go see her.  
  
"I'm gonna go see how Jules is doing." And with that, he left.  
  
"Wow. They're even more attached than you guys." Daisy commented to Shelby. "It was almost like he was running out of air and needed her to help him breathe or something."  
  
"How bizzare." David commented, completely uninterested in the conversation. He was still bitter about Daisy's decision to take Ezra over him, but in a few weeks, all that would change.  
  
"I almost thought you weren't coming." Juliette squealed, happy to see Alex. After dating Augie, she realized that she missed being with a guy that looked like her. Augie was great, but he wasn't exactly tall, dark, and handsome.  
  
"You were worried?" He asked. "Come here." Alex pulled Juliette close to him, passionately kissing her.  
  
"It's been a long time."  
  
"I just saw you last night." He responded.  
  
"I know but ... you know how I feel about you Alex. You've got everything that I want and more." Juliette kissed him back, moving closer and closer to her bed. "I..."  
  
"Shhh." Alex shushed her, thrusting her onto the bed and kissing her neck hungrily. It didn't take long for them to notice that they weren't alone anymore.  
  
"Jules," Augie began. "I ..." His voice trailed off as he realized that Juliette wasn't alone.  
  
"Augie." Juliette whispered. She didn't even try and pretend like nothing happened. Damn.  
  
"Aren't you gonna say it's not what you think?"  
  
"But it is. I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid of how you would react." She explained.  
  
"And this was a better way of letting me know? What the hell were you thinking Jules?" Juliette, gave Alex one last kiss before making her way over to Augie.  
  
"This isn't exactly a bad thing, you know. I mean ... there's room in my bed for everyone." She smiled, seductively, caressing Augie's arm. "You can watch me and Alex and then we can go ... It's just sex."  
  
"Hell no. You're sick Jules. Real sick."  
  
"Don't leave." She demanded.  
  
"Why? How can we ever go back when I know that your nothing but a slut. Puta. Damn it Juliette."  
  
"Wait." Juliette attempted to keep Augie by her side with a kiss.  
  
"Get the fuck off me and stay the hell away for me, puta." Augie rushed out of Juliette's room.  
  
"Are you sad now?" Alex asked, still waiting for her to come back to the bed. "Poor baby."  
  
"Yeah." She mumbled, holding back tears. Augie's always been there for me. I think I'm in love with him.  
  
"I'll make it better." Alex wrapped his arms around Juliette's waist.  
  
"No." She whispered.  
  
"Pretend like it's him, like I'm him. Jules."  
  
"I can't do this anymore Alex."  
  
"I know you want to." He persuaded her.  
  
"No. Go." Juliette's voice cracked.  
  
"Juliette, you called me here, remember?" She knew there was no reasoning with him when she got like this. Despite her protests and screams, he continued, taking her into the bathroom. He left her, crumbled on the floor, weeping.  
  
Juliette pulled on her shirt and the remainder of her clothing, which had been ripped from her body. A combination between gagging sounds and wails of woe penetrated the room as Alex prepared to leave. She wasn't worth it anyway.  
  
"Augie. Just the man I wanted to see." Peter escorted Augie to their group session as he continued to hold back his pain. "How's Juliette."  
  
Augie cringed at her name. "She's still not doing too good."  
  
"Sorry to here that." Sophie chimed in. As group came to a close, Augie kept his emotions on lock. A tear escaped his eye as Peter announced that group was over. "Hey Augie." He paused, hoping that he wasn't caught.  
  
"Make sure to tell Juliette that we're going to have a new addition to our group." Augie nodded, making his way back to the bunks as quickly as possible. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He didn't want to think about it, but the more he didn't want to think about it, the more he did. "You can watch me and Alex and then we can go ... It's just sex." Juliette's words resounded in his head.  
  
A/N: SO, what did you think? I'm not really into writing sex scenes or anything like that, but... do you guys hate Juliette now? For the whole plot of this story to work, I needed to first chapter to go exactly like it did. Hope you liked it and if you didn't, tell me how to make it better. -and the story will get better-  
  
What to expect in Chapter Two: Courtney arrives, Juliette's condition, Scott and Shelby, and Augie's secret life 


	2. I Watched YOu Walk Away

Chapter Two: I Watched You Walk Away As You Told Me You Still Cared  
  
"Mama. Please!" I screamed as she started throwing my things out the window. "Don't do this." I pleaded with her.  
  
"I know you were with him Courtney. I smell him on ya!" She yelled, growing more and more angry.  
  
"I didn't mom. I swear." Courtney replied. She knew that this was the last family that she would probably ever have. All of her other foster families had made her feel like she was nothing, and for once, she felt like she belonged. She was ready to give up her real name, Bianca Ortiz, and become Courtney Ginsberg.  
  
"I saw the way you were looking at him Courtney. I saw the lust in your eyes ... you little slut."  
  
"Please. I'll make everything better. I promise. I've never done anything with him. He's my brother. Please." I begged again. I reached something in her heart because she stopped throwing my things out the house and apologized.  
  
"I'll have Amelio go and get your things. Go to bed." She mumbled, shutting the door behind her. Later, Amelio returned with all my things.  
  
"What are you doing in here?" I asked, afraid that mama would come back and think that something happened between us. "Did she do anything to you?" He shook his head.  
  
"I just wanted to bring you your stuff. All of this is my fault anyway." He sat down on my bed.  
  
"It's nobody's fault. Mama's just a little mad." I commented, referring to how close we had gotten and how fast our relationship had taken off.  
  
"I guess we can't talk to each other anymore." He retorted as his thick Filipino accent seemed to take over.  
  
"You can still come to me whenever you need me Amelio. What she's doing to you ... whatever it is ... isn't right." Courtney reached for a hug, but Amelio pulled away.  
  
"You know. Maybe ... maybe we should call it quits for now. We're already to attached to each other anyway. I mean, you're my girl." She smiled. "But not like that. It can't be like that."  
  
"I'll be more careful. I'll make that no one's around, so whenever you need me, I'll be there." Courtney hugged Amelio tightly and kissed his cheek, without even thinking about her mama. She knew that they had both been adopted into the same family, but ... she stopped herself from thinking like that. Her feelings for Amelio would just have to be put on hold.  
  
"Amelio. Amelio!" Mama yelled.  
  
"Go." Courtney whispered, holding him tightly. It was all that she could for crying.  
  
Courtney couldn't sleep that night. Thoughts about what had just happened and that fact that Amelio was gone keep running through her head. He still hadn't turned up yet and she was starting to worry. It wasn't until a months later that she had some time to talk to Amelio, alone. Her mother had made sure that they had limited to no time together.  
  
"No one's home. Mama won't be back until eight and the kids all have stuff to do after school." Courtney proclaimed, referring to the four other children that they had both adopted.  
  
"And your father?" He asked.  
  
"He wouldn't care either way. Mama only married him for money and status anyway." She mumbled. "Are you hungry?"  
  
"No." Courtney made Amelio something to eat anyway.  
  
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.  
  
"Naw."  
  
"You didn't come back to my room like you normally do." She commented.  
  
"I know. It was late." Amelio retorted.  
  
"How late?"  
  
"Three, four? It was a couple of months ago."  
  
"Five months. I waited for you. I couldn't sleep. I was afraid I'd have those nightmares again."  
  
"Don't lie. I know you were worried about me. Woman, how many times do I have to tell you that I can take care of myself?"  
  
"I was worried about you. You're the only one I have here that doesn't hate me now. I didn't want her to go crazy on you like she did on me." Courtney whispered. I lied to her. You're more than a brother to me.  
  
"I lied to her Amelio ... but ... she took me in. I'm 17, but she still decided to take me in and ... I can't believe I'm doing this."  
  
"If you don't want to don't." He answered. "I don't need anybody."  
  
"What'd she do to you?" She demanded, giving Amelio a tight hug.  
  
"Don't." He pushed her away.  
  
"You can tell me you know. I told you all about me. I won't think any less of you Amelio. She's the one with issues. Okay? She's ruining our lives!" Courtney yelled. Anytime Amelio was hurt, she was hurt. It was hard for her to define her relationship with Amelio. I've only known him for eight months.  
  
"Don't cry."  
  
"You don't trust me now?" She questioned.  
  
"I've always trusted you. I just want you to stay here. Okay? I don't want her to send you away." Amelio hugged Courtney despite what had happened with "mama" and how it was tearing him apart.  
  
"Then tell me. That's the only way to make it better." Courtney took Amelio's hand as they walked into his room for privacy. At first she felt uncomfortable being in his room, but once he told her the truth, it didn't matter who saw them together. Amelio had become number one on her priority list and anything that she could do to make it better, she would.  
  
"Looks like Queenie really is sick." Shelby commented, noticing that she hadn't come out of the bathroom since they'd been there.  
  
"Well, you need to hurry up Juliette. There are two other girls in here, you know?!" Daisy yelled.  
  
"I don't think she got the point." Shelby smirked.  
  
"I'll make her get it all right." Daisy burst into the bathroom, which couldn't lock, revealing Juliette's unhumanly pale body crumbled on the floor. Blood was everywhere.  
  
"What's wrong?" Shelby wondered.  
  
"Get Peter!" Daisy yelled, keeping her voice calm.  
  
"And you found her like this?" Sophie asked as the medics came and Daisy nodded.  
  
"I don't know what happened to her or how long she's been like this." She whispered, keeping her voice in a monotone, making sure not to show too much emotion.  
  
"What about you Shelby?"  
  
"I haven't seen her all day until now. Augie said she wasn't feeling too good ... he left lunch early to visit her. Within minutes, Augie was called down to the lobby where he revealed the entire scene between him, Jules, and Alex.  
  
"You didn't think to tell me about this?" Sophie became angry. "Only God knows why she did this to herself and what happened."  
  
"Will she be okay?" Augie wondered, getting over himself and actually caring about Juliette.  
  
"We don't know. She's been through a lot Augie and like it or not, it seems that you helped contribute to this." Hannah jumped in.  
  
"Whoa. Whoa." Sophie pulled her back. "Calm down."  
  
"Juliette was doing so well." Hannah whispered in disbelief. "I watched her grow up ..."  
  
"So, what do we do now?" Augie asked Shelby and Daisy who both seemed to be out of it. This is all my fault.  
  
A/N: This was a weird place to stop the story, but I didn't want to make chapter two be ten pages. It's already long enough as it is. I just really got into writing this story. Hope you like it. Six or more reviews and then I'll add the next installment, which I've already written.  
  
What to Expect in Chapter Three: Some of the newbie's past is discovered, she makes her way to horizon, Juliette in the hospital, bad news from Katherine 


	3. Now I Can't Believe You're Gone

Chapter Three: Now, I Can't Believe You're Gone  
  
"And..." Amelio's voice trailed off as he finished telling Courtney about everything his "mama" had done to him.  
  
"How could she do this?" She sat down beside him, making body contact for the first time since they arrived in his room.  
  
"It's over now."  
  
"I want to make it better ..." Courtney held Amelio's eye contact until she closed her eyes and passionately kissed him the way that she had always dreamed she would. To her dismay, the kiss ended. "Are you mad?"  
  
Amelio shook his head and returned the favor, sending electricity through his body. They went back and forth, exploring every part of each other's body. "I can't do this. It's ..."  
  
"I'm not asking you to." Amelio replied, knowing that sex didn't really matter to him like it use to. Love was all he needed. "But, if you want to ..."  
  
"I love you." Courtney muttered, not really realizing what she was saying, but still caught up in lust or what she believed was love. She let herself get caught up in the moment. And, as predicted, the devil was the third party. What did we just do?  
  
"It's almost eight." Amelio whispered. Courtney couldn't bring myself to look at him. She felt really bad about what happened, but felt really good about it at the same time.  
  
"Okay. I'll be in the shower." She hopped out of bed and ran into the bathroom, hoping that no one would ever know about the moans that escaped her mouth ... the fact that she had slept with Amelio, her "brother."  
  
"Courtney." Amelio walked in. "I'm coming in."  
  
"Okay." Courtney whispered, glad not to be completely alone. She didn't want to think about everything right now. Amelio left before she did, giving her a short kiss on the way out. Even with the hot shower running, she still felt chills. No sooner had she gotten out of the shower did Courtney hear scream after scream.  
  
"Courtney! I know what you've done!" Mama rushed into the room while Courtney tried to think of how to react.  
  
"I haven't done anything. I was just taking a shower. Sorry I didn't have time to make dinner." She apologized.  
  
"Like hell you haven't done anything. You little bitch. Did you actually think that you could get away with it? Well, guess what ..." Mama aka Diana held up a gun with the intent to fire.  
  
"Mama?" Courtney started breathing heavily. There was nowhere for her to go. If she wanted to shoot at her, then Courtney would have no chance to live.  
  
"I told you to stay away from him. Look what you made me do!" Diana aimed at Courtney and fired, but her aim was way off thanks to the alcohol that she'd been drinking ... and Amelio who had pushed her down, taking the gun from her.  
  
"Run Courtney!" And she did. Courtney ran away. And look where it's gotten me. I'm on my way to some freak show called "Horizon." Pity parties aren't my thing ... I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. I didn't even get to see him.  
  
"Get out the car, Bianca." Diana Ginsberg answered angrily. Her calling Courtney Bianca was proof that she was disowning her.  
  
"Quiero ver Amelio." Courtney whispered.  
  
"You know I don't speak that Chicano bull shit. Get your ass out the car now, bitch." She demanded.  
  
"Puta." Courtney whispered. Shut the fuck up.  
  
"Are you Diana Ginsberg?" She nodded.  
  
"I'm Sophie. Welcome to Horizon."  
  
"Thank you Peter." Augie whispered. All the Cliffhangers had been given permission to visit Juliette in the hospital, while Sophie stayed back to greet the newbie.  
  
"I want you guys to behave and keep it together while you're here, alright?" The bus stopped and the Cliffhangers followed Peter into the hospital. Scott walking with Shelby, comforting her, Daisy with Ezra and David, while Augie trailed behind the group. I never wanted this to happen.  
  
The Cliffhangers weren't allowed to see Juliette. No one was, but Augie found away around it. "Jules." He whispered, opening the door to what appeared to be your room. "I'm so sorry Jules. For everything." Augie moved closer to her bed, not realizing just how bad things had gotten.  
  
He held back a gasp as he realized that something serious had happened to Juliette. Her wrists, which she had cut herself, were well- covered but her body was bruised and covered with scars that held fresh blood. "Oh my God. What happened." Augie went over and held her hand, while stroking her delicate features. "What happened after I left Jules? How could you do this?" A mixture of guilt, sadness, and betrayal flowed through Augie's emotions.  
  
Pain from what had happened the night before and the guilt for what had happened to Juliette was overwhelming. Still, he couldn't help but be angry with her. "How could you do this?" Tears brimmed his eyes. "You promised you'd come to me if you ever thought about this. How could you do this Jules?" Augie rested his head over Juliette's body as his moist tears fell onto her lifeless hand.  
  
"And this is your bunk." Sophie pointed out Courtney's new living space.  
  
"Where are all the rest of the girls? You're not going to leave her in her by herself? God knows what she'd do." Ms. Ginsberg gave her daughter an evil stare.  
  
"No, of course not. The others have gone to visit a friend of theirs. They'll be back tomorrow." Sophie explained. "You can set your things there Courtney."  
  
"It's Bianca." She whispered.  
  
"What?" Ms. Ginsberg asked, outraged. "You can't be serious. If you knew what your mother was like, you'd never want to share any part of her name ... but then again you're turning out to be just like her." She spat out.  
  
"Ms. Ginsberg, I have no problem calling her Bianca." Sophie intervened.  
  
"Good enough. At least I don't have to worry about the family name being tainted. " She answered. "Only one more year." Ms. Ginsberg muttered as she walked away.  
  
"Eleven months," Bianca corrected her, yet she had already vanished without a trace. She left without even saying goodbye.  
  
"I'll leave you to get settled. If you need anything-"  
  
"Sophie. Come quickly." Hannah burst into the room.  
  
"What do you mean?" Sophie followed, without another word.  
  
"Kat's on the phone."  
  
"Great. Couldn't it wait?" Hannah shook her head. "Why didn't you talk to her for me."  
  
"She asked for you. She only wants you."  
  
"Hey Kat. How are you?" Sophie asked, wondering why Hannah had made the call seem so urgent.  
  
"I'm coming back to Horizon."  
  
"What about college? Things aren't going well? I thought you loved Liberty University."  
  
"I thought I did too, but ... I can't stay here anymore. It's all too much for me Sophie. I really want to come back." Kat explained.  
  
"Well, I need to talk to Peter ... we can't offer you the type of education that Liberty can." She admitted.  
  
"I don't care what you say. I'm coming back regardless." Kat sighed. "I've never felt so helpless before in my whole entire life. It's all just too much."  
  
"Kat, did someone ... did someone hurt you ... assault you?" Sophie barely finished the question before she heard a click from the other line.  
  
Horizon is the only way to make it better. It'll make me forget.  
  
A/N: I know this chapter was a little disappointing, but I still need you guys to review anyway. I haven't written HG stories in a while, even though I have millions of them, so I need you guys to help me make the next chapter better. Lots of hearts. ~~  
  
What To Expect in Chapter Four: Davie-Ezra-Daisy drama, Juliette's mom comes into town, Augie puts two and two together going to see Alex, and maybe something else 


End file.
